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The decor in Evelina and Stephan Kravaev Söderberg’s fourth-floor apartment in central Stockholm has much in common with a well-thought-out fashion wardrobe.

A base of neutral colours, carefully chosen designer heirloom pieces and a good dose of fashion-forward high-street style. But then you’d expect nothing less from the Swedish style power couple – former fashion designer Evelina, 51, is now head of design at H&M Home, while husband Stephan, 47, is owner of his own clothing brand, Hope.

‘For me, there are obvious links between home and fashion,’ says Evelina. ‘The place you live in is an extension of your personality, just like clothing is. It’s natural for us to think of our home in the same way as we think about what is in our wardrobes.’

In the dining area, the chairs are an Arne Jacobsen design.

Evelina believes that your living space shouldn’t be a static place, but an ever-evolving ‘set’ that changes seasonally. ‘I like to decorate with neutral colours and go for longer-lasting consistency with furniture. We then have fun with the smaller things such as colour, soft furnishings and decorative touches,’ she says.

"The place you live in is an extension of your personality"

‘We’re constantly inspired by what’s happening in fashion – in the colours, materials, prints and patterns – as well as what’s happening in music and art – and this also informs my thinking at H&M Home.’

Evelina buys new things for her home every season. ‘At the moment I’m in love with the dark green and petrol shades from the autumn/winter season,’ she says. ‘I always use grey as a base. Nature has been a big influence for spring, with natural colours and greens, so I’ll pick up on that palette with cushions and throws.’

The 1950s sideboard was a vintage find in Stockholm

The couple live in the three-bedroom apartment with daughter Eli, 12, and son, Ted, 16. ‘We moved in a year before Ted was born,’ says Evelina. ‘And though we’ve mused on the idea of buying another place over the years, we still love it here.’

Undoubtedly its central location in Vasastan, just 10 minutes from work, gives life an easy rhythm.

The beautifully constructed apartment block, built in 1916, with its large windows and well-defined interior spaces, means the family don’t have to compromise on aesthetics either.

After such a long stretch in one place, the neighbours are friends. ‘We’ve recently celebrated the building’s centenary with all our neighbours,’ says Evelina. ‘It’s very much a community.’

Evelina, whose home is influenced by her work for H&M

Evelina and Stephan have lived in the district since they were first married 20 years ago. They upsized from their original bijoux place after returning from a two- year stint in Amsterdam, where they were both working as fashion designers.

"It needn’t be expensive to update seasonally, even a few cushions can do the trick"

They found the apartment through a newspaper ad and though the walls were a vile 1980s palette of turquoise, yellow and terracotta, all the original features were still there, including a fabulous parquet floor, built-in cupboards, large window frames and spacious room configurations.

‘We did very little to the place originally, aside from painting over the bright colours with neutral,’ says Evelina. ‘We particularly love the 1920s architecture – that was very much the reason we fell for the place – so we tried to work with that aesthetic when we eventually remodelled the bathroom and kitchen.

Evelina describes her bedroom as ‘clutter-free and calm with classic furniture and colours’; the walllight is by product designer Jamie Hayon.

We have very similar taste and inspire each other, which makes redecorating easy.’

"‘I like empty space and give a lot of stuff away, but it makes me happy to ring the changes of the seasons"

Undoubtedly, the muted tones, clean lines and mix of mid-century and modern furniture has been heavily influenced by their Swedish design heritage. ‘The Swedish have a tradition of bringing form and function together,’ says Evelina. ‘I’m just as interested in whether something works as whether it is beautiful.’

So while Evelina admits to having a lot of things, the house doesn’t feel over-decorated, and crisp whites in the bedroom in particular add to the serenity of the space while providing an easy palette to add seasonal touches to.

The dining room’s Palais Garnier glass light is by Czech firm Lasvit and was bought in New York; the black and white picture was a gift from Evelina’s aunt Vesa Karavaeva, a well-known artist in Bulgaria

‘I like empty space and give a lot of stuff away, but it makes me happy to ring the changes of the seasons,’ admits Evelina.

‘Spring heralds fresh flowers, open windows and bright colours; in winter we embrace the dark days with cosy blankets, candles and muted colours. It needn’t be expensive to update seasonally, even a few cushions can do the trick. It’s all about expressing different facets of your personality and different moods.’